Gaming devices that provide players awards in primary or base games are well known. These gaming devices generally require a player to place or make a wager to activate the primary game. In many of these gaming devices, the award is based on the player obtaining a winning symbol or winning symbol combination and on the amount of the wager (e.g., the higher the wager, the higher the award). Symbols or symbol combinations that are less likely to occur usually provide higher awards.
In such known gaming devices, the amount of the wager made on the primary game by the player may vary. For instance, the gaming device may enable the player to wager a minimum number of credits, such as one credit (e.g., one penny, nickel, dime, quarter, or dollar), up to a maximum number of credits, such as five credits. This wager may be made by the player a single time or multiple times in a single play of the primary game. For instance, a slot game may have one or more paylines and the slot game may enable the player to make a wager on each payline in a single play of the primary game. Thus, it is known that a gaming device, such as a slot game, may enable players to make wagers of substantially different amounts on each play of the primary game ranging, for example, from 1 credit up to 125 credits (e.g., 5 credits on each of 25 separate paylines). Accordingly, it should be appreciated that different players play at substantially different wagering amounts or levels and at substantially different rates of play.
Gaming devices with slot games including multiple reels and multiple paylines associated with the reels are well known. In certain of these known gaming devices, the reels are dependent reels and in other of these known gaming devices, the reels are independent reels. Many players enjoy the high hit frequency and volatility the independent reel slot games provide.
Gaming devices that provide cascading symbol or tumbling reel games are also known. In one such cascading symbol or tumbling reel game, a gaming device generates and displays a plurality of symbols in a symbol display matrix or grid. This symbol display grid includes a plurality of two-dimensional symbol display positions. Each symbol display position is associated with a specific row and a specific column of the symbol display grid. In such a cascading symbol game, the gaming device evaluates the displayed symbols and provides an award for each winning symbol combination formed. The gaming device then removes the displayed symbols that form the winning combination(s) of symbols to create one or more empty symbol display positions. The gaming device shifts zero, one, or more of the remaining displayed symbols downward into zero, one, or more of the created empty symbol display positions. If any empty symbol display positions remain, the gaming device generates and displays a symbol for each remaining empty symbol display position. The gaming device then reevaluates the displayed symbols and provides an award for any winning symbol combinations formed. If winning symbol combinations continue to be formed, the gaming device repeats the steps of removing generated symbols, shifting generated symbols, generating new symbols, and evaluating generated symbols.
Another known gaming device provides a “3 Digit Game.” During a play of the 3 Digit Game, a player places a wager and selects three of the digits 0 to 9. The order in which the player selects the three digits is a selection order. Thereafter, the gaming device independently generates and displays three of the digits 0 to 9 in a display order. The gaming device then determines whether to provide the player with an award based on: (a) a quantity of the selected digits that were generated and displayed by the gaming device, and (b) a comparison of the selection order and the display order. The gaming device provides the player any determined award.
There is a continuing need to increase the level of excitement and entertainment for people playing gaming devices. There is also need for new ways of providing better gaming experiences and environments at gaming devices. There is a further need for increasing the number of winning symbol combinations generated and awards provided to a player for a play of a game.